Viscoelastic Behavior of Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR)

Polymers are both solid and liquid at the same time, regardless of the temperature. However, during processing and usage they appear to be either in the liquid or solid state. This is due to the density and the mobility of the molecule chains of the polymer. Silicone rubber has particularly good properties for applications that require both absorption as well as transmission of vibrations. This paper presents the fundamental behavior of liquid silicone rubber, addressing the time-temperature dependence of storage and loss moduli, as well as their development during cure. The whole range between viscous and perfectly elastic behavior, and their interaction is demonstrated with measurements and simple models.